Bio

“Creativity is the antidote for violence and destruction. Art is our most human expression, our voice to communicate our stories, to challenge injustice and the misrepresentations of mainstream media, to expose harsh realities and engender even more powerful hope, a force to bring diverse peoples together, a tool to rebuild our communities, and a weapon to win this struggle for universal liberation.”
– Alixa + Naima

WHO IS CLIMBING POETREE?

Over the last 15 years, Climbing PoeTree has inspired thousands through their award-winning multimedia performances, soul-stirring spoken, conscious hip hop, world music, visionary artistry, sustainable touring, and community organizing. Co-creators Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman have independently organized more than 30 national and international tours, taking their work from South Africa to Cuba, the Scotland to Mexico, England to India, and throughout the U.S. including 11,000 miles toured on a bus converted to run on recycled vegetable oil.

Climbing PoeTree has stirred crowds at diverse venues from the United Nations to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Harvard University to Rikers Island Prison. They have been featured alongside powerhouses such as Alicia Keys, Janelle Monáe, Erykah Badu, Little Dragon, Talib Kweli, Maxwell, Madonna, Rising Appalachia, Alice Walker, Danny Glover, Cornel West, Naomi Klein, and Angela Davis, who remarked,:

“Each time I have the pleasure of attending a performance by Climbing PoeTree, I feelenriched, renewed, and inspired. Alixa and Naima insist that poetry can change the world—and it is true that the urgency, power and beauty of their words impel us to keep striving for the radical futures toward which they gesture.